Atmospheric precipitation refers to all forms of water, liquid or solid, that condense from atmospheric water vapor and fall to the Earth’s surface under gravity, including rain, snow, sleet, freezing rain, and hail. It is governed by microphysical processes such as nucleation, droplet and ice-crystal growth, collision–coalescence, riming, and aggregation within clouds, and by dynamical processes like uplift, frontal systems, and convective motions. Precipitation is quantified using intensity, duration, phase, and spatial distribution, and is central to the hydrological cycle, energy budget, and climate system, serving as a key output variable in weather prediction and climate models.
The Sahara Desert is one of the driest areas in the world. It gets just 3 inches of precipitation per year—one-tenth of the amount of Chicago's rain, sleet and snow.
Environment
Oct 15, 2025
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In research that could improve weather forecasting and winter driving safety, a University of Michigan-led study distinguished nine distinct precipitation types—varieties of rain, snow and mixed-phase (e.g., sleet)—using ...
Environment
Oct 7, 2025
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"Atmospheric rivers" are large-scale extreme weather systems that are making headlines more frequently. When viewed in satellite images, they appear just as described—like rivers in the sky. Though they are often reported ...
Earth Sciences
Sep 22, 2025
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Climate change enhances extreme rains more than the ordinary drizzle. New research shows that frontal rain increases the most, and illustrates why extreme rains caused by other phenomena are not equally affected.
Earth Sciences
Aug 20, 2025
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Severe weather events, such as heavy rainfall, are on the rise worldwide. Reliable assessments of these events can save lives and protect property. Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have developed ...
Environment
Jul 10, 2025
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In the late 2010s, when Assistant Professor Flavio Lehner worked for the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, water managers often asked him about the drought in the Southwest. Was the low precipitation ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 9, 2025
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The past year of 2024 was characterized by repeated runs of extreme rainfall and floods worldwide. Among these, one of the most devastating events was the Central Asian flood in the spring of 2024.
Earth Sciences
Jun 25, 2025
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This May, Denver saw more than 4 inches of rain, doubling the city's historic average and outpacing famously rainy places like Seattle.
Environment
Jun 17, 2025
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Atmospheric rivers are responsible for most flooding on the West Coast of the U.S., but they also bring much-needed moisture to the region. The size of these storms doesn't always translate to flood risk, however, as other ...
Environment
Jun 12, 2025
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38
Hot air holds more moisture. That's why you can blow your hair dry even after a steamy shower. It's also what dumps rain in the tropics and sucks water from desert soils.
Earth Sciences
Jun 4, 2025
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